DEVIL, DEVIL (Michael Langdon)

Gallant returned.

Stu, however, did not.

They sat in the dining room the next morning trying to console Andre to the best of their ability as they waited for food. "How could he be contaminated?" Andre was asking. "Stu never went outside. He was with me most of the time."

"Well, people do strange things when they're stuck inside 24/7," Coco said. "I've started masturbating with my off hand."

Judas groaned at that, while Gallant let out a short laugh. He was back to his old self now that the threat of impending death wasn't upon him. Judas was almost happy to see it. "Are you saying he deserved this?" Dinah asked.

Coco hesitated, picking her words carefully. But even her thinking did little to help her give her statement gently. "I'm saying Stu was boring, and using up our food, and that lesions won't work with my complexion," she said.

"Fuck you!" Andre snapped, making Judas jump in his seat. "I hope they come for you next." Judas wasn't going to say that he almost hoped the same thing.

"Nobody's coming for anyone," Ms. Mead's voice interjected. "Not unless you break the rules."

Everyone quieted, looking up at the leaders of the outpost. "This is a difficult time for everyone," Ms. Venable noted. "As a small consolation, we have a special treat."

She lifted the top off of a pot, and the smell of cooked meat filled the air. Judas' stomach growled at the scent. Gallant was grinning despite himself. "No cubes tonight?" Emily asked, stunned.

"Enjoy the bonne bouche," Ms. Venable said as the Grays began spooning out bowls of delicious smelling stew. "Don't get used to it."

"Holy, shit," Judas whispered, leaning forward in his seat to try and get another smell of it.

The Grays set the bowls in front of everyone. Judas was practically drooling at the sight. "You think bribing us with a hot meal's just gonna make everything okay?" Andre demanded.

The others ignored him, digging into the meal. Judas was smiling as he ate, and Gallant was doing the same. Beneath the table, he had taken Judas' hand and was holding tightly. "Oh, my God," Coco stated with a weak laugh. "I think my mouth had an orgasm."

"Andre," Ms. Venable said gently as she lowered to sit in Stu's empty seat, "we're not trying to bribe anyone, but there is something we all need to understand." Her voice took on a sternness, then. "There is no 'us' and 'them.' We are in this together. No individual is greater than the group. We did what we had to do. This is quite simply a tragedy."

"Where have you been hiding the fresh meat?" Dinah asked.

"Seriously," Judas agreed with a laugh.

Ms. Venable tried to smile at that. "We have resources... for special occasions," she said quickly.

"I've never tasted anything like it," Gallant said, though his enthusiasm faded as he lifted something that looked terribly like a human bone from the broth.

"It's chicken," Ms. Mead said firmly.

Timothy lowered his spoon, pushing the bowl away from himself. "That's not a chicken bone," he said.